Home
by Alex Marr
Summary: Tim makes a visit home and Bruce isn't to happy about it... Events a week after the Batman and Red Robin Issue


A week after the incident up in the artic, Tim returns to the Wayne Manor.

Tim yawned as he made his way to the back entrance to the Batcave. It had been a long night with the Teen Titans. The man calling himself "Emperor Penguin" gave the teens all a run for their lives. Tim was lucky to get away with only a stab wound in his left arm. He scratched at the quick patch job, hoping Alfred would look it over and help him patch it back up again. He quickly regretted that scratch, as the pain shot back up, making him winch. He had never been so grateful to see the Entrance Panel.

Tim looked at the glowing panel before him. The words "Enter Passcode" glared at him. He sighed, wondering if the old man was still mad at him. He let his fingers dance over the machine he had used numerous times.

ENTER PASSCODE: REDROBINYUM

Tim waited for the normal noise to "ping" for the access to the Batcave. What he got was something else.

"Access Denied."

Tim lowered his head. Bruce was still mad at him, but to go this far. Tim took in a heavy breath, before making his way to the Manor's main entrance.

888

Tim went to push open the door like he normally did when he entered the Manor. But he was stopped. The door was locked. Tim sighed, figuring it wasn't his day today. He pulled out a key and placed it in the lock and turned. Nothing clicked. The door remained locked.

Tim's downcast eyes fell on to the door lock. It was new. Tim lowered his head even more. Bruce had changed the locks up here too…

Something heavy grew in Tim's heart, knowing all too well what he did that night with stopping Bruce, wouldn't end well. He still had a huge bruise and a few loose teeth from that punch he had received. What hurt him more was being pinned by the wall from the baterang's thrown at him. Tim raised his good arm and rang the doorbell. He waited a bit before Alfred opened the door with a smile. It wasn't a bright smile, but it was still a smile.

"Timothy, I know you have a key. You don't have to let me let you in."

"I forgot me key Alfred, I'm sorry."

"Nothing to fret over I guess. Are you staying for tea?"

"I'm just here to pick up some of my things, I won't be long."

Tim walked in, hiding the fact that Bruce changed the locks without Alfred knowing it. He also figured it was best to not inform Alfred of his wound, as it now meant he was unwanted in the household by Bruce and felt like he shouldn't stay long. Upon entrance, Tim looked around the now "emptier" place. He made his way to the inner hallway, when the sound of "tat, tat, tat" came walking towards him with heavy feet trailing not far behind.

Titus, the big Great Dane, walked up with his tail wagging. Tim smiled, at least the dog was happy to see him. Bruce on the other hand…His eyes seemed to grow darker with every step Titus took towards Tim. Tim patted the dog's head, scratching behind his ear.

"Hey there boy."

Tim glanced up at Bruce, whom stopped for a short moment, only to walk passed Tim, bumping into his left arm. Tim hid his pain, both the physical and mental of it, turning his attention back to the dog instead. Bruce vanished into the kitchen, Alfred following not far behind him. Anger well written in the older man's steps. Bruce could have easily walked around the boy.

Tim closed his eyes, the world was spinning from the pain. Titus whimpered. Tim smiled, assuming the dog had smelled blood and was concerned for the boy.

"You are a good boy Titus. But I don't need you now. Bruce needs you. He'll need you more then he will ever need me now…"

Tim left the dog, making his way up to the second floor. The angered voices he heard coming from the kitchen, seemed to make matters worse for Tim. His presence alone, always caused some problem for Bruce. Ever since the start really. The man only took him in, only because Tim forced him to.

Tim took in a deep breath, feeling his heart beat in that moment. It was because he was passing Damian's room. Normally he'd tense, somewhat expecting the brat to walk out and say something like normal. Tim smiled…or even attack from the shadows like the brat that he was. But not now, never again. It was sad, not being able to watch the boy grow and learn anymore. He missed that.

Tim made it to his room, the arguing was now just muffled sounds. He half expected his door was locked too, but it wasn't. He pushed open the familiar door, glancing around the room he hadn't slept in over a little of four months now. It felt different, like the time he did live in this room, Tim was a different person. Then again, four months ago, Tim was a different person. Joker was still missing and Damian was alive then…now was another story. His memory loss, the times he would blank or zone out without even noticing it, grew more and more frequent. Tim rubbed his forehead, trying to clear himself of any thoughts where it caused to much mental power.

Tim gave up thinking, opting just to go for the bed. The pain in his arm, seemed to dull again. He laid down on the over plush bed, something he loved as a kid. He glanced up at the ceiling. A soft smile hit his face, as a memory flashed by. Glow in the dark stars, dotted the surface. He recalled some time ago, how he once told Bruce that he liked looking at the stars, it made him feel like he wasn't alone while looking at them. So one day, while Tim was away at school, Bruce mapped out the entire constellation with paint and plastic stars. It was a surprise, to say the least. That "little" action, made Tim feel wanted more than anything. But now, every things different. He wondered if anything would ever be good again. He just felt so tired.

It wasn't long before Tim's eyes closed and he faded away to slumber, his objective to grab things and leave never being finished.

88

"Enough Alfred, I am done talking about this."

"Don't you dare tell me that, you spoiled brat. You're treating the boy like he has some contagious sickness."

"I don't want him here. He's distracting and a problem."

Titus lay at Bruce's feet, listening to the two people arguing. The dog let out a "gruff". Bruce looked down at the dog, like he was judging him too. Bruce threw his arms up in the air out of frustration. Alfred kept his voice monotonic.

"Even the dog thinks you're being a pompous ass."

"The dog has no say in the matter."

Titus stood up, his ear's perked up in an alert pattern. This caught the men's attention. The action was so fast, that it wasn't hard to miss the dog's uneasiness.

"Titus, what's wrong?"

The dog whined, bolting his way out of the kitchen and down the hall way. Bruce wasn't far behind him, watching where the dog was running. He fallowed the dog up to the second level, to the living quarters. Passed, Dick and Jason's room's. Passing Damian's Room. The dog jumped on Tim's door, trying to push it open, but the door was locked. For a moment, Bruce's heart caught in his throat. What did Titus know that he didn't? Bruce kicked open the locked door, making his way into the room. To his horror, Tim lay pale as a ghost on the bed. The wound on his left shoulder had reopened and was bleeding everywhere on the once white sheets. Bruce rushed over, checking the boy.

His pulse was weak. His eyes, rolling to the back of his head. Bruce paled himself, remembering that he had walked into the boy earlier. Bruce grabbed the boy up into his arms, feeling how light he was. Too light for his stature. When only now did he notice this? Bruce called out into a panic.

"Alfred, prep the med-bay quick. Tim needs blood and plasma otherwise he'll bleed out."

The heart clenching fear. The guilt. His loss made him mad, taking it out on the people closest to him. Tim had done what he has always done, forcing Bruce to reason and like always, he was so damn stubborn, so damn cruel, so DAMN stupid. Tim was Bruce's anchor to reality and Bruce had almost but those ties with his neglect.

88

Tim's heavy eyes lifted. The light that shined above him, wasn't that of his starlit room. It was that of the med bay. Tim tried to move, but a sharp pain stilled him.

"Oh, right…."

The actions he took, woke the person holding his hand. Tim glanced, at a loss for words. Bruce loomed over him, his face unreadable. Tim guessed he was mad again. Wouldn't blame him after all, he was here uninvited.

"Sorry, I won't be here long…."

Bruce seemed to grit his teeth at that. Tim looked away, not really wanting a confrontation at the moment. A large warm hand cupped Tim's face, turning it softly towards the older man. Tim looked on , confused. Was Bruce not mad at him?

"Tim, look…I'm sorry for what I did…I was angry and you know me, during those times I can be an irrational jerk…"

Tim didn't know what to say in this moment. After all, the relationship the two had was a Boss and Employee deal, nothing more than that. Tim forced a smile, brushing it off as nothing, like normal. Being the stronger reasonable of the two.

"Well, I guess I could have been a little bit more convincing than just blowing up the building…"

Bruce lowered his head, not letting go of Tim's too cold hand. A heavy sigh escaped him, almost defeated and tired.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know how to handle you. How to act around you at times. You have living parents, so I distance myself, because I didn't want to have what I had with Dick and Jason…You showed up, breaking into my dark world with confidence and pride. I feared that if I got to close, I'd smother that light that you held. I never realized till now, how wrong I was. To push you away like that and dismiss everything who had done for me, for everyone really."

Tim was really dumbfounded by the bedside confession. Why was Bruce doing this? Now of all places? Bruce continued.

"When I saw you on that bed, blood everywhere….my heart stopped. I thought I was losing another son. I couldn't fathom that thought…"

Tim's voice was caught in his throat. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. It felt like his heart would stop.

"But Bruce, I'm not your son."

He said it so clear, so confident, nothing wavered in that voice. It would have been convincing if the tears weren't falling from his blue eyes. Bruce took his hand and started to wipe the tears away. A smile placed on his face.

"Now look who's being irrational."

Bruce was not having any Tim's denial, not now. Tim closed his eyes, trying to stop crying, but nothing seemed to stop the tears. Part of Tim knew it was mostly the lack of blood, the medication and the past events catching up to him emotionally, but this time it was alright to cry for himself. To be selfish and be a kid, something he hadn't been in a while.

"I'm sorry…"

Bruce held onto the boy, careful of the wound Bruce had intentionally ripped open. Tears falling down the older man's as well.

"There is nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault. It never was….and Tim, no matter what you do, what you say. You will always be my son, even if you say otherwise."

Tim breathed heavily into his father's shoulder. Something inside of him felt a little bit lighter, like guilt was no longer there.

Yet still, in the back of Tim's mind, there was that darkness that he still felt. That feeling that made him blank out and forget things at times. The words he wanted to say that went with **_"I'm sorry…"_** was cut short by that darkness. Even with being embraced by his father in his arms, that darkness was still too strong, holding back the words he so desperately wanted to say.

**_"I'm sorry that I couldn't save Damian. I could have saved him, but something told me to stop and let it happen…and I listened…"_**

Tim had to figure it out and ask for help, but he didn't know how, the darkness wouldn't let him. He hoped he would have one day soon, before that darkness took him over. But right now, at that moment, the darkness was at bay. With that, Tim knew no matter what came their way, what monster he would become, Bruce would save him. His father would save him. That thought cased away any doubt that may have lingered for the events to come, that he foresaw.

End:

Ok some notes. This is based on the future event of Tim going bad ass evil on us, due to what the hell ever the Joker did to Tim. (And the Joker did something, we just don't know what.) As the Tim from before the Death of the Family, to the Tim now, has changed drastically. The people who know Tim best of all, (the batfam) aren't in the right mind at the moment to see Tim is "lost". I'm kinda hoping Tim's friends noticed how drastically he has changed and that they try to help him, or get someone from the family to noticed that Tim needs help. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this.


End file.
